Durant Days celebrates the birth of Great Camps Architecture
Durant Days July 31 – August 2, Raquette Lake, NY
Durant Days celebrates the birth of Great Camps Architecture. Enjoy a special weekend of events in Raquette Lake. Harken back to the days when waterways were the highways and travel was by boat! And you can’t get there by car. Access to these Great Camps, Historic Landmarks and churches only available on is limited to a few times a season so don’t miss out on your exclusive chance to explore them all in one jam-packed weekend!
William West Durant left his mark permanently on the Adirondacks as a master designer and builder crafting impressive architectural masterpieces. Durant envisioned grandiose getaway homes and self-contained villages in the middle of the Adirondack wilderness. Through his revolutionary vision he was able to combine the architectural features of a traditional log cabin merged seamlessly with the long low lines of the graceful Swiss chalet to create a luxurious summer residence. From his first grand camp, Camp Pine Knot, sprang a distinctive school forever known as Great Camps Architecture and Raquette Lake is the place where it was born.
These grand camps of the wealthy in the Adirondacks attracted railroad titans, industrialists, admiring journalists and international guests to enjoy the wilds of the forest with the softer comforts of elegance and grace and touted as “the show places of the woods.”
Join us in Raquette Lake, NY the first weekend in August to transport yourself back to the Gilded Age and imagine yourself enjoying the opulence of the Adirondacks as a railroad titan. History buffs will be transported back in time.
Schedule of Events for Durant Days
Friday, July 30th, 2021 Reservation Required
Luncheon Boat Cruise exploring the 100 miles of shoreline of Raquette Lake with historic stops built and crafted by William West Durant. Stops at Great Camps and special Historic Landmark buildings crafted by WWD including the first original Great Camp, Camp Pine Knot, and Saint Williams Long Point listed on the National Register of Historic Sites and the original village of Durant, NY. www.raquettelakenavigation.com
Saturday July 31, 2021
10am/1:30pm Great Camp Sagamore 1/2 Price Tours. Reservations required. visit
for tickets.
12pm/Noon Dedication of William G. Pomeroy Historic Signs for Raquette Lake village. Raquette Lake Village Green. Special Thank you to Dr. Eliza Jane Darling and Raquette Lake Supply.
2pm Wide Variety A Capella Group – performs on the Village Green ** in the event of rain this event will be at the school
Sunday, August 1st, 2021
Great Camp Sagamore 1/2 price tours. 10am/1:30pm. Reservations required. www.sagamore.org/tours
